St. Paul woman arrested in hit-and-run that injured St. Thomas students

A 40-year-old St. Paul woman was arrested Thursday in a hit-and-run earlier this week that critically injured two University of St. Thomas students.

St. Paul police said Nicholas N. Bergeland, of Wayzata, and Rebekka L. Peterson, of Farmington, were hit by a westbound vehicle as they attempted to cross Grand Avenue in the middle of the block between Prior Avenue and Howell Street.

They were exiting a cab when the incident happened about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

Bergeland and Peterson, both 22, were taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. Peterson is listed in critical condition. No information was available for Bergeland on Friday.

Police said on Monday they had located the car, a 2013 gray Mazda 3, but not the driver.

The car was recovered slightly more than a mile northeast of the accident scene about 5 p.m. Sunday in a parking lot behind apartments on the 1700 block of Carroll Avenue in St. Paul, said police spokesman Sgt. Paul Paulos. He didn’t give details about what led police to the car.

The housing of the driver’s side mirror was recovered at the scene, and the condition of the car matches the evidence left behind in the crash, Paulos said.

Peterson is a senior at St. Thomas, the school said.

At the family’s request, the university released no information about Bergeland.

St. Thomas is about a half-mile northwest of where the two were struck.